The Dating Game
by catfic
Summary: Set fairly early on in the Planeteers' careers. After yet another rejection, Wheeler takes Linka's advice and turns his attention to another girl. Linka, unsurprisingly, is not thrilled.


Yes, I am still enjoying the art of procrastination. Don't worry, chapters of both regular fics are in the works! Once again, I don't own these characters, et cetera.

XXXXXXX

Gi was plugged into her iPod when Kwame arrived. He threw the keys to the Cruiser on the table.

"I am back!"

Gi did not respond.

Kwame stood for a moment, listening. He could hear raised voices and banging. He shrugged.

"I am back!" he tried again.

Silence.

"That is not quite the response I was looking for. Gi?"

Gi was tapping her fingers on the table in time to the music. Kwame walked over to her and pulled one of the little white ear-pieces out.

"Gi?"

"Kwame! Hi!" Gi smiled up at him. "How was your trip?"

"Good! I think I really made some headway with the Tanzanians." Kwame sat down. "We planted hundreds of trees, and the media coverage was even better than I had expected. It was a great day."

"Great."

Kwame frowned. "Where are the others?"

"Can't you hear?" Gi raised an eyebrow.

"That screeching noise? I thought maybe someone had a radio on."

"Nope."

"Television?"

"Wrong again."

"Not Wheeler and Linka?"

"Correct."  
"But they've been getting on so well lately."

"All good things come to an end, Kwame." Gi sighed. "Oh well, since I'm up now, I might as well make coffee."

"Where's Ma-Ti?"

"Meditating on the other side of the island. I don't blame him." Gi poured two cups of coffee. "I needed to do some work, and I didn't want to hear it …"

"I see. Thank you." Kwame took one of the cups. "And what does Gaia have to say about this?"

"Nothing as yet." Gi sighed. "But if it carries on much longer…"

"What are they fighting about?"

"Well, it started when Wheeler made a flip comment about Communism. Something about 'reds under the bed', and why didn't Linka hide under his."

"Ouch." Kwame winced. "He should know better by now."

"He likes to wind her up. But he picked a bad day. Linka wasn't in the best of moods anyway. So she snapped back something about 'capitalist pigs'. Then, and I'm not sure how, the whole discussion moved on to how annoying Wheeler is and how Linka needs to lighten up. And it went rapidly downhill from there."

"How long has it been going on for?"

Gi checked her watch. "About forty minutes."

Kwame sighed. "Well, I suppose I'll watch a movie or something."

"Tried that. Doesn't work. You can still hear them."

The door to the common room opened, and Linka strode in. Her green eyes were blazing.

"I cannot believe him!" she stormed. "How dare he! He … Oh, Kwame. Hello. How was your trip?"

"It was very successful." Kwame backed away from her a little. "Would you like some coffee?"

"_Nyet, spasiba._" She took a deep breath. "Maybe some water, though."

"Of course." He poured her a glass. Linka gulped it down.

"Do you feel better?" asked Gi.

"Much." Linka sank into one of the couches.

The door opened again, and Wheeler came in. His red hair was disheveled and his eyes were a little wild. He took one look at Linka and walked straight out again.

After a short pause, he popped his head around the door. "Hi Kwame. Good trip?"

"Yes, very productive."

"Good. So, see you guys at dinner." With a final glare at Linka, he was gone.

XXXXXXX

By dinner, things had resolved a little. Wheeler was a little subdued, and Linka said hardly a word, but the others talked as normal and soon the atmosphere lightened. When the Planeteers separated to go back to their rooms, Wheeler ran after Linka.

"Hey, babe, wait up."

"What?" she turned round, hands on hips.

"Are we cool? I mean …"

"I suppose so." Her voice was cold.

"That is not the voice of someone who has forgiven me."

"Really." Linka turned away.

"Linka?"

"You seem to enjoy making me angry, Yankee," she said over her shoulder. "Congratulations. You are good at it."

"Linka!"

"I do not find your ignorant jokes amusing."

"Hey, I apologised for that!"

"You always apologise, but you don't stop doing it!"

"Well …" Wheeler was at a loss for words. "Would you like to come to a movie with me tomorrow night?"

"What?" Linka paused, the wind temporarily taken out of her sails. "Why?"

"Well, so I can make it up to you."

"With a movie?"

"Yeah. And whatever else it takes. You know, huge bucket of popcorn, disgusting carbonated drink …"

"Wheeler!" Linka's voice rose several octaves. "You are _impossible!_"

She started striding away. Wheeler caught her arm. "What? Why?"

"Only you would think this is a good time to ask me up!"

"Out. And I'm not!"

Linka snorted. "Sure."

"Oh, come on, Linka, meet me halfway."

Linka's eyes were blazing. "No. Why would you ask me something like that, Yankee? Why?"

"Well, you know that I …"

"That you what?"

"That I … and you …"

"What?" Linka screeched.

"Well … you know."

"I don't know."

Wheeler was irritated. "Oh come on, Linka."

"No, you come on, Yankee!"

"Great comeback."

"_Spasiba!"_

There was a short silence.

"I do not know what you are referring to," Linka said haughtily. "We are colleagues, Wheeler, nothing more."

He raised an eyebrow. "You really think that?"

"I think that because it is true!"

Wheeler held her by the shoulders. "But it's not true. Babe, I …"

"Let go of me!" Linka shook herself free. "There is no way anything will ever happen between us, Yankee. Go and find some other poor girl to annoy and leave me alone!"

Wheeler stood very still for a moment.

"Did you hear me?" Linka yelled.

"Yeah, I heard." Wheeler's voice was suddenly quiet, and he looked very thoughtful.

"Well?" Linka was losing her momentum a little bit.

Wheeler rubbed his chin. "Hmm. Okay." He spun round on his heel. "Good night, babe. You're right. I'm sorry I bugged you. I'll leave you alone."

"Yankee!" Linka called after him. "I have not finished!"

But she was talking to empty air. Wheeler had gone.

XXXXXXX

Four days later, the Planeteers were in the Cruiser, flying back from Mexico.

"Another successful mission," said Kwame, leaning back in his seat. "Well done, guys. And we didn't even need to call Cap that time."

"Yes," Gi agreed, expertly guiding the aircraft. "But I have to say, I'm looking forward to getting back to Hope Island."

"I'm looking forward to having a shower," Linka sighed. She examined the ends of her hair. "Two days in the desert. _Bozhe moy_."

Wheeler was sitting in the back seat, his feet on the arm of Ma-Ti's chair. "Hey, little buddy, think you could muzzle that monkey of yours? He's chewing my laces."

"Sorry, Wheeler. Come, Suchi."

"Almost there," Gi called back.

There was a short silence, interrupted by the sound of Led Zeppelin.

"What is that terrible noise?" Linka cried.

"Oh, it's me. Sorry, guys." Wheeler rummaged in his pocket and drew out his cellphone. He flipped it open.

"Hi. No, you're not interrupting anything."

A pause.

"Uh-huh. Yeah, you too."

Gi looked over her shoulder and exchanged a glance with Kwame. Linka stopped playing with her hair.

"Tonight? Um …" Wheeler covered the mouthpiece of his phone. "Guys? We got anything planned for tonight?"

"It's six in the morning, Wheeler. We haven't even had breakfast," Gi pointed out.

"A simple no will do."

"No."

Wheeler turned his attention back to the phone. "Sure, that would be great. What movie? Oh, you're kidding. You're not kidding? Seriously? Well, I guess I could live through it … given enough incentive."

He listened, then laughed.

"Yeah, that would be enough. Okay. Eight o'clock? See you then. Bye."

He clicked the phone off, then looked up to see four faces staring at him.

"What?"

"Who was that?" Gi asked.

Wheeler laughed. "Guys, come on. I know we don't often hang out with other people, but it has been known to happen occasionally."

Linka turned away and stared straight ahead, expressionless.

"So who was it?" she heard Gi ask. The voices seemed to be coming from very far away.

"Diane. That British girl we met at the conference in Fiji?"

"Oh, I remember. Did you get her number?"

"I did. I mean, I wasn't going to use it, but … well …" Wheeler looked a little embarrassed. "I didn't mean this to be so public."

Linka felt another awareness touch the edge of her mind. _Are you okay?_

Da_, fine. Why wouldn't I be? It will be great to have the Yankee out of my hair for the evening. I can catch up on my reading._

She felt Ma-Ti's consciousness withdraw again, and tuned into the conversation.

"She was really nice, I liked her," Kwame said quietly.

"Yeah, and she was all over you, Wheeler," Gi put in.

Linka cast her mind back to the conference, a month ago now. She did remember a dark-haired girl sitting next to Wheeler in the coffee break between sessions. In fact – hadn't she and Wheeler had a fight about it afterwards? Although, of course, they had pretended it was about something else entirely.

"What movie are you seeing?" she heard Gi say.

Wheeler mumbled something.

"What?"

"_Nancy Drew._"

There was a short silence, and then Gi and Kwame started laughing.

"I know, I know!" Wheeler held his hands up in surrender. "I was hoping for _Transformers. _Anyway, I'll be out for a bit this evening."

"Okay." Gi turned her attention back to the monitors. "We won't wait up."

XXXXXXX

Linka sat in the common room, a blanket spread over her and a book open on her lap. For some reason she couldn't concentrate this afternoon. Kwame and Ma-Ti were playing chess at the table (after Ma-Ti had promised not to use his telepathic powers), and Gi was watching _An Inconvenient Truth _on DVD, making notes.

Linka glanced at her watch. "Where's Wheeler?" she asked casually. "Has he left yet?"

"No," said Gi absently, engrossed in her film. "He's getting ready, I think."

"He will have to leave soon if he's going to be there in time."

"Be where?"

"At the movie."

"Oh, yes." Gi glanced at her friend slyly. "Well, maybe you should go and remind him."

"Me?"

"Yes. Why not?"

"Well …" Linka hesitated. "No reason," she said defiantly. "I will be happy to tell him." She extricated herself from the blanket and started towards the door. Kwame and Ma-Ti glanced up as she passed, but said nothing.

XXXXXXX

Linka marched down the path to the accommodation huts, seething inwardly. She reached Wheeler's door and knocked.

"Yankee!"

She could hear the muffled sound of the White Stripes through the door, and the hiss of a shower. She knocked harder.

"Wheeler!"

The shower noise stopped, and she heard the scrape of the curtain being drawn back. After a moment, the door opened.

"Yes?"

Wheeler was bare-chested and dripping, wearing nothing but a towel. Linka spun around, covering her eyes.

"Well, you're the one who knocked, babe. I thought it must be something urgent." There was a mocking light in his blue eyes.

"If you must know, Yankee, I was coming to let you know that you had better leave soon." He couldn't see her face, but the set of her back was indignant.

"Okay. Thanks." He looked at her for a moment, smiling faintly, then went back inside and shut the door. Linka turned round with a gasp. "Wheeler!"

"What?" came the muffled reply.

"Don't just shut the door on me like that!"

"If you'd rather come in and watch me change, you're welcome."

"_Nyet!_"

"Suit yourself."

She heard him humming as he moved about the room.

XXXXXXX

Later that night, when Wheeler had gone, Linka sneaked into the crystal chamber and activated Planet Vision. Gaia controlled it telekinetically, but there was an electronic interface for the Planeteers as well.

"After all, Gaia has never told us that we cannot use it when she isn't here," Linka said to herself. "At least, not in so many words."

The giant screen came to life – loudly. Linka hastily turned down the volume. After she had tried a few different channels, she found the link that tracked the different Planeteers via their power rings. She tried a test attempt, and an image of herself flashed onto the screen.

"Good." She changed the channel to focus on Wheeler. The screen went black.

"What is happening?" she wondered, but before she could try anything else she realized that the screen wasn't completely blank. She could see Wheeler's face, lit by flickering lights. He was staring straight ahead. Beside him was a pretty brunette who looked familiar – Diane from the conference. Linka was viewing them inside the movie theatre. She sat cross-legged on the ground and watched, scowling.

Wheeler leaned across to Diane and whispered in her ear.

"Are you enjoying this?"

"Yes." She smiled, leaning in to him a little more. "You?"

Wheeler smiled. "I have to say, Diane, I think this is a pretty shocking movie."

"Really?" She looked worried. "Are you okay? Do you want to leave?"

"No, I'm fine." Wheeler sighed, and ate a handful of popcorn. He was drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair and wearing an expression that Linka knew intimately – that bored look that was usually the prologue to some piece of upcoming mischief.

As Linka watched, Diane's hand moved slowly towards Wheeler's. Linka stiffened as she watched the well-manicured nails make their way over to the American's chair. Wheeler shifted slightly in his seat, and Diane drew her hand back again.

_Why isn't Wheeler doing any moves? Making any, I mean, _Linka wondered. _If it was me sitting next to him … _bozhe moy, _ I'd have to fight him off._

"Thank god," said the American in heartfelt tones, "it's finished."

"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it just a little bit?" said Diane, laughing.

"Okay. I won't."

Wheeler couldn't stand up quickly enough once the credits started rolling. He offered a hand to Diane and led her out of the theatre.

"Next time, I pick the movie," he said, smiling down at her.

"There will be a next time?" She glanced coyly up at him through her eyelashes. Linka rolled her eyes.

"I think so." Wheeler smiled. He pushed open the door to the outside world, and soon the pair stood on a rainy city street.

"So."

"So." Diane shifted her weight from foot to foot, then leaned forward and kissed Wheeler on the lips.

_He'll pull away, _Linka thought. _She is not his type. I hope he lets her down gently._

But instead of pushing her away, Wheeler slid his hands up Diane's back and held her closer. Instead of ending the kiss, he tilted his head slightly to deepen it.

Linka became aware of herself, sitting on the wooden floor in the darkness in front of a flickering screen. Her legs were tingling with pins and needles, and she was cold. She felt strange – numb.

_I shouldn't be watching this. It is none of my business._

She stood up a little unsteadily, and turned away from the screen. Walking listlessly to the controls, she switched it off.

XXXXXXX

Wheeler wouldn't lie to himself. Yes, he was enjoying kissing Diane. Yes, it was good to have someone openly show that they found him attractive. Yes, it was nice to have someone respond to him rather than fight him off.

But – did he feel like a real cheating jerk?

Yes.

It was ridiculous. In no way had Linka indicated that she was interested in taking their relationship further, and they weren't a couple by any stretch of the imagination.

But still.

He gently withdrew from the kiss, his hands on Diane's shoulders. Maybe this was a feeling that would wear off, given time.

"Shall I take you home?"

Diane raised an eyebrow, smiling. Her lips looked fuller, and her lip gloss was very slightly smudged.

"That sounds good. And maybe you would like to come in for a cup of coffee?"

_Yikes._  
"I've actually got a real early start tomorrow. But I'd like to do this again?"

Diane stepped back, her expression cooling a little. "Of course. Actually, I can get a taxi."

"You sure?"

"Yes. If you need an early night …"

"Thanks, Diane."

"And you'll call me tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? Uh, yeah, no problem."

He watched her walk away. He could tell from the sway of her hips that she knew he was watching.

Well. That wasn't so bad. And maybe if he did it often enough, he wouldn't feel like he was settling for second best.

XXXXXXX

Wheeler entered the common room at one in the morning. The island was dark and silent, and the room was lit only by a sliver of moonlight coming through the open window.

He walked to the sink and filled a glass with water, then headed over to the couches. He was about to slump onto one of them when he heard a tiny noise, like a sigh.

"What the …?"

He flicked on the light switch and revealed a sleepily blinking Linka. She was wrapped in a blanket, curled into a ball on the sofa. Her gold hair was tied back in a messy bun, and she was wearing her Planeteer shirt inside out.

"Yankee! You scared me!" she said weakly, fighting back a yawn.

"Just be grateful I didn't sit on you." Wheeler perched on the arm of the chair. "Why aren't you in bed?"

"I was watching a movie …" Linka sat up and stretched. "And I was so comfortable."

"Fair enough." Wheeler took a sip of water. Linka looked his tall figure up and down.

"You look … nice."

"Thanks."  
"Oh, of course," she said with feigned surprise. "You had a date."

"Yeah."

"With Denise." She deliberately got the name wrong.

"Diane."

"Of course, I am sorry."

"No problem."

"So …"

"So."

"How did it go?" she kept her voice very casual. Wheeler shrugged.

"Um … it was fine."

"Just fine?" Linka waited, but Wheeler didn't elaborate. "You do not have to spare my feelings, Yankee," she said bitterly. "I do not care."

"I know you don't. You've made that very clear," he snapped back.

"Well, then!"

There was a short silence.

"It was just that – fine." Wheeler stood up and took his glass back to the kitchen. "But I don't think I'm going to see her again. I mean … we don't really have time to date in this job. It wouldn't be fair … I'd hardly ever see her."

Linka felt a surge of relief, which she quickly dismissed. "That sounds sensible."

"Besides …" Wheeler came and knelt by the sofa. "I got the feeling she was a little preoccupied."

"You did?" Linka was puzzled.

"Yeah. I got the feeling she was thinking about someone else the whole night. Someone she really did care about. In fact, I got the feeling that she felt real guilty to be out with someone else when she knew she was just trying to distract herself from this person. It wasn't fair on … uh … me."

"Really." Linka's green eyes were wide.

"Yeah, and I also get the feeling that she's willing to wait until this other person is ready. I'm pretty sure that she's made her feelings clear. So now she'll probably just try not to annoy the other person too much, or move things forward too fast. At least, that's the impression I got." Wheeler smiled.

Linka didn't know what to say. She bit her lip. "I …"

"Anyway," Wheeler broke in quickly. "Night, babe." He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek, then stood up and made his way to the door.

"And go to bed," he added before leaving. "I'm home now – you can relax."

"I was not waiting up for you, Yankee!" Linka cried, glad to submerge her more worrying emotions in irritation.

"Sure you weren't." And with a wink, he was gone.


End file.
